'Just send a plane' pleads family of Niagara man stranded in Nepal amid COVID-19

Niagara's Connor Crickmore is stranded in the capital of Nepal with no expectation he'll leave anytime soon as COVID-19 concerns have placed the country on lock-down. 

After returning to the town he was staying in from an "off-the-grid" hike up the Himalayas, Crickmore said he and some other travellers were immediately brought aside and assessed for symptoms. 

"Every minute became more of a realization how serious things had gotten in Nepal," Crickmore said as the villagers debated whether to let the travellers stay. 

Though Nepal only has five confirmed cases of the virus as of Thursday, on March 24 it closed its borders, suspending all land and air travel. 

In the last few weeks, more than a million Canadian citizens have slowly returned home from travelling abroad as commercial flights become available. But in some countries, Canadians have yet to receive an update on their return status. 

For almost two weeks, Crickmore, 29, says he has been living in a 25-person hostel with 95 other stranded travellers from around the globe — seven of whom, he estimates, are also Canadian. While other countries have slowly begun to send flights to the region, Crickmore says he's yet to have any contact from Canadian officials about whether a flight will be coming there anytime soon. 

"My only concern at this point is just not getting out," he said. 

Crickmore left Canada to travel to different parts of the world in October, landing in Nepal at the beginning of March. At the time, Nepal only had one confirmed case. 

With so few cases, Crickmore said he isn't concerned about getting the virus, though he fears that if the spread increases, food and water might become more scarce and Nepal's healthcare system could crumble. 

Since the lock-down, tensions have escalated, with curfews set in place and police patrolling the streets with sticks, Crickmore said. 

"There's some frustration from fellow Canadians. We're not really understanding why it's so difficult," he said, adding that he understands there may be people in more dire situations, such as those in India, but "keeping Canadians in Nepal in the loop would definitely be a good start." 

India, just to the south of Nepal, has gone on a three-week lock-down to manage its 1,965 cases and 50 deaths. 

With India having so many cases, Crickmore said he worries that Nepal's case count isn't accurate. 

For now, Crickmore said his only hope is to catch a flight to Washington, D.C. that's leaving Sunday, but he's still awaiting confirmation. 

Stranded Canadians might not make it home

On Thursday, Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne spoke about ongoing efforts to bring Canadians home and said he understands the anxiety of those still stranded. 

"We are working, literally around the clock and doing everything we can to bring you home as quickly as possible." 

He continued to say that, "Unfortunately, despite our very best efforts, it will most likely not be possible to ensure the return of all Canadians who wish to come home."

The government created an emergency loan program for Canadians abroad offering money, that must be repaid, to those in need of immediate financial assistance. 

Global Affairs Canada is also providing 24/7 consular support to citizens abroad through the Emergency Watch and Response Centre and consular staff. 

'Just send a plane' 

Randall Crickmore, Connor's dad, said he's concerned for his son, especially because comments from the Canadian government suggest Connor could remain stranded for an uncertain amount of time. 

"I don't feel good about that," Randall said. "I mean just send a plane... I'm shocked that we don't even have planes in the air right now. It's quite amazing." 

Randall said he's worried about food shortages and the kind of healthcare Connor would receive if he got sick. 

Though nothing has been set in stone, Randall said his family has had some contact with the government and are being led to believe there will be some sort of rescue efforts made soon. 

"I'm of the mind that there's going to be a positive resolution to this, not the other way around."